Is Catania Safe in December 2026?

Unofficial 'attendants' wave you into a free or public street space, sometimes slapping a meaningless blank ticket on the windscreen, then demand 2-5 euro cash to 'watch' the car. Local police repeatedly run blitzes against them around Via Etnea and nearby piazzas, and tourists who refuse fear their car may be keyed or broken into.

How to avoid: Park in a signed paid garage or pay the official meter; you are not legally obliged to pay these men. If pressed, pay a small coin only if you feel unsafe, photograph the area, and report aggressive ones to the Polizia Locale.

Drivers approach arrivals inside or just outside Fontanarossa terminal offering rides without using the official white-taxi rank, then charge 40-75 euro for the short hop to the centre or Catania Centrale and demand cash with no working meter or proper receipt. The genuine fixed fare to the historic centre is roughly 25 euro by day and 30 at night.

How to avoid: Use only the official white taxis with the Catania city logo at the marked rank; confirm the fixed rate or that the meter is running before getting in; for budget travel take the Alibus to the centre instead. Insist on a printed receipt (ricevuta).

In the hot, crowded open-air car-rental building across from Fontanarossa, and in the packed market lanes, thieves work the crush, with travellers reporting an older man openly pickpocketing multiple people while they filled out rental paperwork. Crowds let a hand slip into an open bag while attention is on documents or stalls.

How to avoid: Wear a money belt or cross-body bag in front, keep wallet and phone zipped and out of back pockets, and stay alert while distracted with rental forms or browsing stalls. Travel light through these chokepoints.

Waiters at seafood eateries ringing La Pescheria pull tourists in with friendly patter, then serve grilled fish or a seafood platter priced per 100g (al etto) without a clear per-unit price agreed first, and the final bill balloons once the kitchen 'weighs' a large fish. The mechanic relies on diners not asking the weight or price before ordering.

How to avoid: Ask the price per etto and the total weight before the fish goes to the kitchen, see the raw fish weighed, and get the total in euros confirmed. Prefer fixed-price menu items or places with prices clearly printed.

Restaurants in the tourist core add a coperto (cover charge) and sometimes unrequested bread, water or 'specials' that inflate the bill, occasionally listing a coperto well above the local 1.50-3 euro norm or not disclosing it on the menu. Tourists who do not check the printed menu get surprised at payment.

How to avoid: Check the menu for the stated coperto before sitting down, query any charge over about 3 euro per person, decline bread or extras you did not order, and itemise the bill before paying.